Depth Again A Strength For Boys’ Tennis Team

By Andy Hutchison

If only there were something like seven singles slots and three or four doubles positions.

Newtown High School boys’ tennis coach Marty Margulies again finds himself juggling a roster of players for which he has room to start only some of his capable-of-competing-at-the-varsity-level players.

This was the problem — a good problem as Margulies put it — a year ago … and this is the “problem” again this spring. It’s a good problem in that the team has depth and players can fill in when injuries or other reasons create lineup shakeups.

“We have more depth than any team I’ve coached here,” the ten-year NHS coach said. “I will do my best to rotate them as often as possible.”

The Nighthawks rode that depth to an 11-3 record in the South-West Conference (13-3 overall) and lost in the semifinals of the SWC Tournament to Weston. A handful of players graduated, leaving some voids, but plenty of talent returns throughout the lineup for the five singles spots and two doubles tandems.

Weston, Joel Barlow and Pomperaug, as has been the case throughout the years, are the three big guns in the SWC.

“My hope is to win the South-West Conference,” said Margulies, adding that winning it all may be unrealistic given the strength of Weston. His expectation is to, at the very least, qualify as one of the top four teams again this year.

Just who plays where in this lineup (No. 1, No. 3, singles or doubles) was being sorted out as the preseason unfolded this past week. Senior captains Adam Wenick and Evan Batzer (in no particular order) will likely be in the top two singles spots. Other players whom the coach expects good things from are juniors Timo Roehrs, Peter Manos, Casey Tenney and Joe Cappiello (a likely top doubles duo), Max Paynter (back after not playing tennis last spring), Colin Jacob, Rich Andreatta and Tyler Reszoly. Sophomores Conor Howell and Eric Sippin (sidelined with a broken hand at the start of the campaign) and freshmen Bob Beier, Tommy Stewart and Clayton Makuch all stand to play their ways into the lineup at some point or another.

The Nighthawks were scheduled to open the season at home (Treadwell Park) against Barlow on Wednesday (after The Bee sports section went to press) and will get another good test when the Hawks visit Pomperaug on April 13. Newtown will visit Weston (last year’s Class S state champion) on April 29.